Polyurethane scaffolds seeded with CD34(+) cells maintain early stem cells whilst also facilitating prolonged egress of haematopoietic progenitors

Sci Rep. 2016 Aug 30:6:32149. doi: 10.1038/srep32149.

Abstract

We describe a 3D erythroid culture system that utilises a porous polyurethane (PU) scaffold to mimic the compartmentalisation found in the bone marrow. PU scaffolds seeded with peripheral blood CD34(+) cells exhibit a remarkable reproducibility of egress, with an increased output when directly compared to human bone scaffolds over 28 days. Immunofluorescence demonstrated the persistence of CD34(+) cells within the scaffolds for the entirety of the culture. To characterise scaffold outputs, we designed a flow cytometry panel that utilises surface marker expression observed in standard 2D erythroid and megakaryocyte cultures. This showed that the egress population is comprised of haematopoietic progenitor cells (CD36(+)GPA(-/low)). Control cultures conducted in parallel but in the absence of a scaffold were also generally maintained for the longevity of the culture albeit with a higher level of cell death. The harvested scaffold egress can also be expanded and differentiated to the reticulocyte stage. In summary, PU scaffolds can behave as a subtractive compartmentalised culture system retaining and allowing maintenance of the seeded "CD34(+) cell" population despite this population decreasing in amount as the culture progresses, whilst also facilitating egress of increasingly differentiated cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antigens, CD34*
  • Cell Culture Techniques / methods*
  • Cell Differentiation*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / cytology
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Polyurethanes / chemistry*
  • Tissue Scaffolds / chemistry*

Substances

  • Antigens, CD34
  • Polyurethanes